Chapter 574

Returning to his study, Lin Ruhai still felt dizzy.

Long silence.

Only after a long while did Lin Ruhai snap back to himself, his gaze falling on the porcelain bottle on the desk. He took out the medicinal pill and began to cultivate.

"Someone has already sent assassins after me—this means those salt merchants are desperate!" Lin Ruhai's expression was calm. "I urgently need power; otherwise, I'll easily be ambushed."

Moments passed.

By the time he fully absorbed the two elixirs, Lin Ruhai felt not a trace of worry left in his heart.

"True qi realm—qi stirs mountain and river, crushes cities, annihilates nations. With this power, as long as no immortal descends from heaven, I'm safe."

With power secured, Lin Ruhai's mind turned active, and he began to ponder the Way of Heavenly Mechanism.

After pondering for a while, he felt his head swelling.

"This Way of Heavenly Mechanism is truly obscure and hard to grasp," Lin Ruhai frowned. "Forget it—right now, the most urgent task is dealing with the salt merchants. Let me first calculate their movements!"

He directly twisted the Eight Trigrams compass in his mind, and in the next instant, the Heavenly Mechanism became crystal clear.

Lin Ruhai saw their actions as clearly as reading palm lines.

"So they've prepared many backup plans, huh? Hmph—so my daughter is also in your calculations?"

"Too bad, my daughter has received a celestial connection—she's not something you petty scoundrels can scheme against."

Even so, Lin Ruhai could not suppress the surge of killing intent in his heart.

The Lin family had only one heir.

Lin Ruhai had doted on Lin Daiyu beyond measure—yet these people dared to harm his daughter; they had crossed his ultimate boundary.

"It's clear I must exterminate them utterly! Hmph—no matter who stands in my way, I'll wipe them clean!"

Killing intent like a blade!

Lin Ruhai calculated the people in his household he could use, while moving with urgent precision.

The next day, three salt merchant families were arrested.

As for evidence?

With the Way of Heavenly Mechanism, every filthy deed the salt merchants had ever committed could be calculated.

The evidence was too easy to find.

In just seven days, three-tenths of the salt merchants were arrested, and seized illicit silver reached nearly thirty million taels—equivalent to one and a half years of imperial court tax revenue.

The wealth of the salt merchants was plain to see.

Sending all this illicit silver to the capital sent shockwaves through the entire imperial city.

"Lin Ruhai did an excellent job—flushing out these salt merchant parasites! Thirty million taels! That's the nation's money!!"

The Emperor sat upon the Dragon Throne, his gaze like lightning, piercing the ministers below.

The Emperor knew perfectly well who lay behind these parasites!

Without powerful patrons, how could salt merchants ever go far?

Yet Lin Ruhai performed brilliantly—every salt merchant arrested had undeniable, ironclad evidence.

Even the patrons behind these merchants were powerless.

They could only mutter about bad luck and seek other ways to harass Lin Ruhai—but found him spotless; even past evidence of bribes had vanished.

"Draft an edict: Lin Ruhai has rendered meritorious service in clearing salt taxes. Promote him to Salt Transport Commissioner of the Two Huai Provinces. Bestow upon him the Imperial Sword of Authority, granting him power to execute first and report later. Also grant fifty thousand taels of Bai Yin and one hundred bolts of brocade…"

"Your Majesty, this cannot stand!"

"Your Majesty, the Salt Inspection Censor is only a seventh-rank official. Now promoted to a third-rank Salt Transport Commissioner—that's seven ranks leap! This violates protocol!"

The Emperor slammed his hand on the table, voice like Lei Ting: "Protocol? I am protocol! Why can't a seventh-rank official rise to third-rank? If you achieve such feats, I'll promote you too."

The ministers broke into cold sweat.

To make them emulate Lin Ruhai? That would be a death sentence.

Lin Ruhai had no blemishes; their own were everywhere.

They might send the salt merchants to prison today—and be dragged in themselves tomorrow!

In the end, all ministers could only grit their teeth and accept it.

"Damn Lin Ruhai—you've angered so many court officials; you'll pay dearly. Don't think your current glory lasts—your family will surely face destruction and annihilation!"

Several high officials exchanged glances, killing intent flashing openly—then vanished.

Jia Mansion.

"Good news! Master Lin has been promoted again—to third-rank! Remarkable!"

"Master Lin was granted fifty thousand taels of Bai Yin by the Emperor! Real gold and silver—unprecedented favor!"

Jia Mu beamed, laughter filling her face.

"My daughter married into a fine family. She just didn't live long enough to enjoy it—if she had, she might have earned a noble title herself."

"That's because the old lady's fortune blesses her descendants!" Wang Xifeng smiled. "Look—her descendants already show talent!"

…

While dark currents swirled in the imperial city, Lin Ruhai had already calculated the outcome.

"More officials will now target me," Lin Ruhai sighed. "I've stirred up a hornet's nest. But with the Way of Heavenly Mechanism, what do I fear? Who dares threaten my daughter? Let's see who wins—only battle will tell."

With an escape route secured, Lin Ruhai's fighting spirit soared.

Inner quarters.

Lin Daiyu cared nothing for the outside world; she trained daily, forging her martial will.

"One thought—flowers bloom; I reign over all under heaven!"

Suddenly, behind Lin Daiyu, a hundred flowers burst into bloom—then withered, radiating a chilling, deadly aura.

Lin Daiyu clenched her fist, as if an ultimate female immortal had descended, filling all within dozens of li with dread—as if great disaster loomed.